What is Raw Footage? Should I ask my Wedding Videographer for Raw Footage?

Wedding Video Raw Footage Explained:

Whenever you read Wedding Advice on Videography, couples are always encouraged to ask about Raw Footage – don’t walk away from your videographer without full raw footage in your hands! Make sure you ask for Raw Footage! A good videographer will always give you Raw Footage! While these people are all well meaning, they create some confusion around the topic of Raw Footage – what it is, why you want it, and what its good for.

Raw Footage in the days before digital:

When weddings were still being captured using film, raw footage meant the literal film from your wedding – the entire long version of your wedding on vhs or a big roll of film. Those days, the videographer literally recorded one huge take, and the couple would then sit down and watch the entire video. That was RAW footage in the day.

Raw Footage For Modern Wedding Films

Now that things are digital however, wedding cinematographers are filming weddings completely differently. Here at Tailored Fit Films, we’re recording our Okanagan Weddings with multiple cameras, and hundreds if not thousands of short little 5-6 second clips. Nowadays, when you ask for raw footage, thats what you’re referring to – thousands on thousands of 5 second clips that really have no story or meaning until they’re put into an editor and mixed together to create your wedding film. Raw footage by itself is pretty much unwatcheable.

So why have raw footage?

Well the advantage of raw footage is that it contains all the raw material for your wedding film, so should anything ever go wrong and you lose or damage your film – you have the original raw files to go back to. We hope this has helped you understand the benefits and drawbacks of raw footage, and whether or not you need it from your wedding videographer. Our advice is not to worry about it too much – but if you want the peace of mind in knowing you have EVERYTHING backed up from your wedding, then there is no harm in purchasing it just in case.